Hub gear for wheeled vehicles

Abstract

A planet gear type hub gear for transmitting torque between a drive shaft and a vehicle wheel. The end portion of the drive shaft carries a sunwheel which cooperates with a plurality of planet wheels mounted on a planet wheel holder secured to the vehicle wheel. The planet wheels are meshing with a gear ring that is mounted on a fixed gear ring retainer, and that is locked axially on said retainer by means of at least one locking means. Said locking means engages grooves on both the gear ring and the gear ring retainer. In the planet wheel holder there is at least one passage via which the locking means can be operated by means of an elongate tool so as to make the gear ring, together with sunwheel planet wheels and planet wheel holder, axially removable from the gear ring retainer in a single unit enclosed by the hub casing.

What we claim is: 
     
       1. A hub gear of the planet gear type, for torque transmission between a drive shaft and a vehicle wheel, preferably for a truck, said hub gear comprising a sunwheel non-rotatably connected to the end portion of the drive shaft, a plurality of planet wheels rotatably mounted on a planet wheel holder, said planet wheel holder being non-rotatably connected to the vehicle wheel and having at least an end portion located axially inward of the sunwheel, and a gear ring non-rotatably connected to a non-rotating gear ring retainer that is located axially inward of the planet wheel holder, said sunwheel and said gear ring both meshing with said planet wheels, said gear ring being axially locked relative to said retainer by means of at least one locking means radially attached between the gear ring and the gear ring retainer, the locking means engaging a groove on the gear ring and engaging another groove on the gear ring retainer, said locking means having at least one free portion which, when acted upon in a radial direction, releases the gear ring from the gear ring retainer, said planet wheel holder having at least one axial through-passage that, when the planet wheel holder has a certain rotational position relative to the gear ring, allows access to the free portion of the locking means by a tool. 
     
     
       2. A hub gear as claimed in claim 1, wherein the locking means is a substantially circular, resilient circlip having two end portions bent inwardly and forming together the inner portion of the circlip. 
     
     
       3. A hub gear as claimed in claim 2, wherein the end portions of the circlip are bent radially inwardly and backwardly in the peripheral direction so that the end portions form a radially outward acute angle. 
     
     
       4. A hub gear as claimed in claim 3, wherein one end portion of the circlip is bent double so that it can be latched onto the other end portion of the circlip, thereby pretensioning the circlip and reducing its diameter. 
     
     
       5. A hub gear as claimed in claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the inner portion of the circlip is located axially outwardly of a support portion between the hub and peripheral toothing on the gear ring, said inner portion extending through a peripheral groove on the peripheral toothing of the gear ring retainer.